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Abstract:

A method and a system for managing a project during transition are
provided. The system comprises a processor, an interface, and a memory
coupled to the processor. The system receives a request for initiating
the project through the interface. The memory comprises a back end module
and a front end module. The back end module is configured to create a
standard project workspace and a standard project plan upon receiving the
request to initiating the project. The front end module is configured to
generate in real time one or more status reports of the project for
various stakeholders. These status reports are based on the standard
project plan.

Claims:

1. A system for managing a project during transition, the system
comprising: a processor; an interface to receive a request to initiate
the project; and a non-transitory memory coupled to the processor,
wherein the memory comprises processor executable instructions that
include: a back end module configured to automatically cause the
processor to create, upon receiving the request to initiate the project,
a standard project workspace for storing project documents and a standard
project plan listing a plurality of predefined activities and a plurality
of predefined deliverables for each of a plurality of stages of the
project, wherein the standard project plan defines at least one tollgate
for transition from one stage of the project to another stage; and a
front end module configured to cause the processor to generate in real
time a plurality of status reports of the project for a plurality of
stakeholders, wherein the plurality of status reports of the project are
based on the standard project plan.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor executable
instructions further comprises a document management module configured to
cause the processor to: manage the project documents; provide workflow
for the project documents; and provide in-built templates for creating
the project documents, wherein the in-built templates are customizable by
one or more of the plurality of stakeholders.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, the plurality of stages of the
project comprises a define stage, a design stage, a develop stage, a
demonstrate stage, and deliver stage.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of status
reports is selected from a group consisting of dashboard, heat charts,
alarms, reports, and pending documents.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the standard project plan is
customizable by one or more of the plurality of stakeholders.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the standard project
workspace comprises a predefined folder structure for storing the project
documents.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the standard project
workspace comprises active project documents and artifacts documents.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the standard project
workspace is customizable by one or more of the plurality of
stakeholders.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of status
reports is defined according to roles of the plurality of stakeholders.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the standard project plan
comprises one or more sub-tollgates for at least one of the plurality of
stages of the project.

11. A method for managing a project during transition, the method
comprising: receiving a request to initiate a project; creating,
automatically, based on the request, a standard project workspace for
storing project documents and a standard project plan listing a plurality
of predefined activities and a plurality of predefined deliverables for
each of a plurality of stages of the project, wherein the standard
project plan defines at least one tollgate for transition from a previous
stage of the project to a next stage of the project; and generating in
real time a plurality of status reports of the project for a plurality of
stakeholders, wherein the plurality of status reports of the project are
based on the standard project plan generating in real time a status
report of the project.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, the method further comprising
customizing the standard project plan to generate a customized project
plan.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the tollgate is signed-off
by one of the plurality of stakeholders.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, the plurality of stages of the
project comprises a define stage, a design stage, a develop stage, a
demonstrate stage, and deliver stage.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the plurality of
predefined activities in the define stage are selected from a group
consisting of sending a pre-due diligence questionnaire to a client,
gathering skill set and technology requirements, building a data security
risk log, initiating a unified project plan.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the plurality of
predefined activities comprises creating a training plan in the design
stage.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the plurality of
predefined activities comprises agreeing on a success criteria for a
pilot project in the develop stage.

18. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the plurality of
predefined activities comprises gathering requirements for project
management in the demonstrate stage.

19. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the plurality of
predefined activities comprises performing a process risk review in the
deliver stage.

20. A computer readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program
for executing a method for managing a project during transition, the
method comprising: receiving a request to initiate a project; creating,
automatically based on the request, a standard project workspace for
storing project documents and a standard project plan listing a plurality
of predefined activities and a plurality of predefined deliverables for
each of a plurality of stages of the project, wherein the standard
project plan defines at least one tollgate for transition from a previous
stage of the project to a next stage of the project; and generating in
real time a plurality of status reports of the project for a plurality of
stakeholders, wherein the plurality of status reports of the project are
based on the standard project plan generating in real time a status
report of the project.

Description:

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present subject matter described herein, in general, relates to
project management, and more particularly to systems and methods for
managing a project during transition.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Typically, projects, such as IT projects, are completed in stages.
Every such project, thus, undergoes transition from one stage to another
stage. When project managers manually track the progress of a project
during transitions and otherwise also, the success of the project is
dependent primarily on the ability of the project managers to
successfully drive the project and achieve intended result. This manual
approach results in low repeatability of successful transitions and, in
varying quality of projects when projects are managed by different
project managers.

SUMMARY

[0003] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to systems
and methods for managing a project during transition and the concepts are
further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not
intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter nor
is it intended for use in determining or limiting the scope of the
claimed subject matter.

[0004] In one embodiment of the present subject matter, a system for
managing a project during transition is provided. The system comprises a
processor, an interface, and a memory coupled to the processor. The
system receives a request for initiating the project through the
interface. The memory comprises a back end module and a front end module.
The back end module is configured to create a standard project workspace
and a standard project plan upon receiving the request for initiating the
project. The front end module is configured to generate in real time one
or more status reports of the project for various stakeholders. These
status reports are based on the standard project plan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] The detailed description is described with reference to the
accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a
reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number
first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to
reference like features and components.

[0006] FIG. 1 illustrates a network implementation of a system for
managing a project during transition, in accordance with an embodiment of
the present subject matter.

[0007]FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic project plan, in accordance with an
embodiment of the present subject matter.

[0008]FIG. 3 illustrates a method for managing a project during
transition, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject
matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] Systems and methods for managing a project during transition are
described herein. For handling large projects, organizations these days
have a transition team and transition managers to manage project
transitions from one stage of the project to another stage. Usually,
transition managers maintain a project plan and project documentation for
each of the project being executed. Such project plan and project
documentation are usually in a non-standard form, thereby increasing the
risk of some of various checkpoints and deliverables to be missed during
the execution of the project which directly impacts project success.

[0010] Further, when several concurrent projects are being executed across
the globe, leadership at a delivery site generally do not get sufficient
visibility to the project progress status. Moreover, leadership at a
client site also does not get sufficient visibility to the project
progress status at delivery site. More importantly, issues in project
execution, for example, delay in transition timeline, incomplete
documentation, inadequate review, and document sign-off, are often
visible only at the end of transition or when the project is completed.
This gives very short lead time to take any corrective action and, thus,
has a direct impact on service commitment and customer satisfaction.

[0011] Furthermore, since the project documents may be maintained in
transition manager's local system and may not be available to all
stakeholders involved in the project, any miss in hand-off to the
concerned stakeholder, such as the client, may results in
non-availability of the project documents for any future reference or
learning.

[0012] The present subject matter describes systems and methods for
managing a project during transition from one stage to another stage of
the project in a well defined and structured way. In one embodiment, the
system for managing a project during transition, upon receiving a request
for project initiation, creates a standard project workspace and a
standard project plan. The standard project workspace is used to store
the project documents and the standard project plan lists various
activities and deliverables for each stage of the project. For a project
to transition from one stage to next stage, a tollgate has to be signed
off. The tollgate provides a checklist of activities and deliverables for
moving on to the next stage. Every transition of the project from one
stage to next stage may be monitored on the basis of real time status
reports of the project generated for various stakeholders. These status
reports are based on the standard project plan. Therefore, the system can
assist in managing transition from one stage to the next stage. Further,
the system can enable workflow and document management. Further, the
system provides more visibility to project status on real-time basis for
various stakeholders, such as a client and a project manager.

[0013] While aspects of described systems and methods for managing a
project during transition may be implemented in any number of different
computing systems, environments, and/or configurations, the embodiments
are described in the context of the following exemplary systems.

[0014] Referring now to FIG. 1, a network implementation of a system 100
for managing a project during transition is illustrated, in accordance
with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The system 100 may be
implemented in a variety of computing systems, such as a laptop computer,
a desktop computer, a notebook, a workstation, a mainframe computer, a
server, and a network server. The system 100 includes at least one
processor 102, an I/O interface 104, and a memory 106. The at least one
processor 102 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors,
microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central
processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any devices
that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Among other
capabilities, the at least one processor 102 is configured to fetch and
execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 106.

[0015] The I/O interface 104 includes a variety of software and hardware
interfaces, for example, a web interface, a graphical user interface, and
the like. The I/O interface 104 allows the system 100 to interact with a
user. Further, the I/O interface 104 enables the system 100 to
communicate with other computing devices, such as web servers and
external data servers (not shown). Further, the I/O interface 104
facilitates multiple communications within a wide variety of networks and
protocol types, including wired networks, for example, LAN, cable, etc.,
and wireless networks, such as WLAN, cellular, or satellite. The I/O
interface 104 includes one or more ports for connecting a number of
devices to one another or to another server.

[0016] The memory 106 may include any computer-readable medium known in
the art including, for example, volatile memory, such as static random
access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and/or
non-volatile memory, such as read only memory (ROM), erasable
programmable ROM, flash memories, hard disks, optical disks, and magnetic
tapes. The memory 106 may include modules 108 and data 110.

[0017] The modules 108 include routines, programs, objects, components,
data structures, etc., which perform particular tasks or implement
particular abstract data types. In one implementation, the modules 108
may include a back end module 112, a front end module 114, document
management module 116, and other module(s) 118. The other module(s) 118
may include programs or coded instructions that supplement applications
and functions of the system 100.

[0018] The data 110, amongst other things, serves as a repository for
storing data processed, received, and generated by one or more of the
modules 108, such as project workspace data 120, project plan data 122,
and status report data 124. The data 110 also includes other data 126.
The other data 126 includes data generated as a result of the execution
of the other module 118.

[0019] In one implementation, the system 100 receives a request to
initiate a project, such as a software development project, through its
interface 104. For example, one or more stakeholders, such as business
analyst or project managers using user devices 128-1, 128-2 . . . 128-N,
collectively referred as user devices 128, may provide the request.
Example of user devices 128 include, without limitation, desktop
computers, hand-held devices, laptops or other portable computers, tablet
personal computers, network computers, mobile phones, multi-media enabled
phones, and smart phones.

[0020] In one example, the user devices 128 communicate with system 100
over a communication network 130 to provide the request. The
communication network 130 can be implemented as a combination of the
telecommunication network and a computer network. According to said
example, the computer network can be implemented as one of the different
types of networks, such as intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area
network (WAN), and the internet. The communication network 130 may either
be a dedicated network or a shared network, which represents an
association of the different types of networks that use a variety of
protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application
Protocol (WAP), to communicate with each other. Further, the
communication network 130 may include a variety of network devices,
including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices.

[0021] The request includes details relating to the type of the project or
project requirements for the project being initiated. Upon receiving said
request, the back end module 112 automatically creates, a standard
project workspace for storing project documents. In one implementation,
the standard project workspace is created as the project workspace data
120 in the memory 106. In another implementation, the standard project
workspace for storing project documents may be created in a central
repository (not shown) or a project server 132 associated with the system
100. In one implementation, the standard project workspace can be created
for every project in the project server 132. For uniquely identifying the
standard project workspace, the standard project workspace can be
assigned a workspace name in a predefined format. For example, the
workspace name can include the name of a project for which the standard
project workspace is created. In addition, the workspace name can include
date and time on which the standard project workspace is created. It will
be appreciated that although a single project server 132 is depicted in
the figure, the system 100 may interface with numerous project servers
each hosting one or more projects.

[0022] In one example, the standard project workspace is based on the type
of the project or project requirements and includes a predefined folder
structure for storing various project documents, such as active project
documents and artifacts documents. The active project documents are those
documents which are utilized in an ongoing project, whereas the artifact
documents are documents that are available upon closure of a project.
Thus, the standard project workspace ensures that there is no loss of the
project documents for future reference. In one implementation, the back
end module 112 is further configured to ensure the security of the
project documents through role based authenticated access to the standard
project workspace.

[0023] In addition to creating the standard project workspace, the back
end module 112 is further configured to automatically create, based on
predefined rules, a standard project plan upon receiving the request for
project initiation. In one implementation, the standard project plan is
stored in the project plan data 122. In various other implementations,
the standard project plan may be stored in a separate database server
(not shown). The standard project plan lists various activities to be
performed and deliverables to be generated for each stage of the project.
The standard project plan ensures that the project managers do not miss
out on any of the key activities or deliverables that are required for
the successful execution of the project. Thus, the repeatability of
successful project execution is significantly increased, resulting in
better customer satisfaction. In one implementation, the standard project
plan is customizable, i.e., the standard project plan has the option of
adding or modifying activities and/or deliverables that a stakeholder,
such as a client or a project manager, would specifically like to include
in the project.

[0024] Furthermore, the standard project plan includes tollgates for
transition from a previous stage of the project to a next stage. A
tollgate between the previous stage and the next stage of the project is
like a checklist that includes all activities and deliverables associated
with the previous stage, i.e., for taking the project from the previous
stage to the next stage, all activities of the previous stage should have
been performed and all the deliverables of the previous stage should have
been generated, otherwise the tollgate cannot be passed or signed off. In
one implementation, the activities and deliverables can be classified as
mandatory and non-mandatory. Accordingly, the tollgates could be passed
upon completion of mandatory activities and deliverables, and the
stakeholders can take appropriate decision about non-mandatory activities
and deliverables. In one implementation, the tollgates can be passed or
signed off according to roles and access permissions of the stakeholders,
for example, only a project manager or a client can be allowed to sign
off the tollgates.

[0025] In one implementation, the front end module 114 is configured to
generate, in real time, one or more status reports of the project based
on the standard project plan for various stakeholders, such as project
team, project managers, and leadership at delivery and client
organization. All the key stakeholders, thus, have visibility to the
project status on a real-time basis. In one implementation, any
deviations from the standard project plan are reflected in the status
reports and corrective action may be initiated by the stakeholders. The
status reports ensure that all the stakeholders are updated regarding the
project status. Since these status reports are directly integrated with
the standard project plan and deliverable's status, they provide an
insight of the status of the project on a real time basis as the project
progresses. In one implementation, the interface 104 may include a
reporting interface, such as a graphical user interface (GUI), configured
to display the status reports to the stakeholders. In one implementation,
the status reports are stored in the status report data 124.

[0026] In one implementation, the status reports can be in the form of
dashboards, charts, tables, etc. The status reports provide information,
such as missed activities, heat charts, tollgate wise status of the
project, alarms, pending documents, task scheduled for a given time
period, and status of deliverables in each of the tollgates. In one
implementation, apart from having the standard status reports, the
stakeholders can customize the status reports for further analysis of any
specific area of interest. In one implementation, during the tollgate
review, the front end module 114 is configured to provide a status report
of the project documents, such as the deliverables, completed and missed,
thus, enabling the stakeholders to make informed decision on moving from
one project stage to another.

[0027] In one implementation, access to status reports is based on the
stakeholders, i.e., various stakeholders can view the project status at
different levels of details depending upon their roles. In one example,
leadership teams may get summary view of all the ongoing transitions, the
project managers may get project specific details, and the clients get
access to the relevant sections of the status report as applicable to
them or as desired by them. In one implementation, the front end module
114 is further configured to generate the status reports of more than one
project. This feature is helpful for stakeholders such as project
managers, as the project managers usually manage multiple projects for
various clients in different geographic locations.

[0028] In one implementation, the document management module 116 is
configured to provide in-built templates for project documents. In one
implementation, the document management module 116 is further configured
to provide the ability or user interface elements to upload adhoc
documents, such as help documents, questionnaires for clients, and
response to questionnaires. Further, the document management module 116
is configured to enable management of the project documents. For example,
the document management module 116 supports internal, i.e., at delivery
site, as well as external, i.e., at client site, project documents
relating to sign off of the project. This ensures that no project
document that is agreed with the client is missed out. Also, the document
management module 116 is further configured to provide a workflow to
ensure the sign-off happens on all the project documents as per quality
management standards of organizations. In one implementation, the audit
trail of the project review and sign-offs is maintained for future
reference.

[0029] In one embodiment of the present subject matter, the system 100 can
be implemented using online and/or offline technology. In the online
technology, either intranet, i.e., private computer network within an
organization, or internet, i.e., global network, or both can be utilized.
In the internet version, the system 100 is implemented as a web server to
which various stakeholders can connect online from their client devices
(not shown). In the intranet version, the system 100 is implemented as an
intranet server. In one implementation, the system 100 stores data in a
separate database server (not shown). In the offline version, the system
100 helps various stakeholders to use the same functionality on their
client devices even when the client devices are not connected to the
internet and/or intranet. Accordingly, the offline version includes a
synchronization functionality to update the status reports once internet
and/or intranet connection is established.

[0030] Referring now to FIG. 2, a schematic project plan 200 is shown, in
accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The
schematic project plan 200 is one example of the standard project
described earlier and can be created by the system 100 in one
implementation. The schematic project plan 200 defines various stages of
a project. The various stages of the project include a define stage 202,
a design stage 204, a develop stage 206, a demonstrate stage 208, and a
deliver stage 210. It will be understood from the foregoing description
that each of these stages includes activities to be performed and
deliverables to be generated in that stage of the project.

[0032] As mentioned previously, the activities in each of the stages are
considered as performed if the corresponding deliverables are generated.
If all the deliverables are generated and stored, for example, in the
project workspace data 120, then the project can undergo transition from
a present stage to a next stage of the project through a corresponding
tollgate between the present stage and the next stage. A tollgate between
the previous stage and the next stage of the project is like a checklist
that includes all activities and deliverables associated with previous
stage, i.e., for moving from the previous stage to the next stage of the
project, all activities of the previous stage should have been performed
and all the deliverables of the previous stage should have been
generated, otherwise the tollgate cannot be passed. Accordingly, the
schematic project plan 200 includes a define-design tollgate 232, a
design-develop tollgate 234, a develop-demonstrate tollgate 236, and a
demonstrate-deliver tollgate 238.

[0033] In one implementation, the activities and deliverables can be
classified as mandatory and non mandatory. Accordingly, the tollgates
could be passed upon completion of mandatory activities and deliverables,
and the stakeholders can take appropriate decision about non-mandatory
activities and deliverables. In one implementation, the schematic project
plan 200 is scalable in terms of adding or modifying any number of
stages, activities, deliverables, and tollgates as per business
priorities of organizations

[0034] In one implementation, in the define stage 202, project
requirements comprising scope, objectives, and goals of the project are
defined. The define stage activities 212 include handover from sales team
to project team of the organization. Further, the define stage activities
212 may include generating a schedule for interaction with the client,
sending pre-due diligence questionnaires to the client, obtaining
templates for project documents. In one example, the define stage
activities 212 may also include preparing an expectation log, gathering
existing relevant documents, getting access to supporting tools, building
timelines, defining scope of the project, and reaching a mutual agreement
on deliverables with the client. Additionally activities, such as
confirming a statement of working, and preparing service level agreement
may be completed in the define stage 202.

[0035] Once the project requirements are agreed upon, various project
matrices may be defined for the project and a unified project plan may be
prepared. The project plan may include a project schedule, such as a day
wise schedule for the team may be prepared. The schedule may indicate
various project milestones. Further, based on the project requirements,
skills and technology requirements of the project are determined and a
project team may be defined. In addition, various other activities, such
as building a project governance model, analyzing risks and mitigation,
validating technology requirements, analyzing workload impact, performing
cost benefit analysis, building log for data security, and creating
process information documentation may be completed in the define stage
202. The define phase 202 may, in one example, be concluded by making due
diligence report, internal review of the define stage activities 212, and
preparing final define stage report.

[0037] Upon completion of the define stage activities 212 and generating
the define stage deliverables 222 in the define stage 202, the
define-design tollgate 232 can be signed off by an appropriate
stakeholder, such a project manager, and the project can undergo
transition from the define stage 202 to the design stage 204. In one
example, the define stage 202 includes a large number of the define stage
activities 212 and the define stage deliverables 222. Therefore, the
define stage activities 212 and corresponding the define stage
deliverables 222 can be grouped as pre-due diligence, due diligence, and
solution related activities and deliverables. Accordingly, sub-tollgates
can be defined between said groups. In other words, before signing off
the define-design tollgate 232, sub-tollgates within the define stage 202
can be signed off to conclude the define stage 202.

[0038] In the design stage 204, an initial design of the project is
created. This initial design serves as the foundation on which project is
to be build. In one example, the design stage activities 214 include
creating a training plan, building a detailed project plan, performing IT
setup, sharing detailed IT design, preparing final design stage report,
etc. Accordingly, the design stage deliverables 224 include training
plan, project plan, IT setup, detailed IT design, and final design stage
report, etc.

[0039] Upon completion of the design stage activities 214 and generating
the design stage deliverables 224 in the design stage 204, the
design-develop tollgate 234 can be signed off by an appropriate
stakeholder, such a project manager, and the project can undergo
transition from the design stage 204 to the develop stage 206.

[0040] In the develop stage 206, a first version of the project is
developed. The develop stage activities 216 include assessing training,
building manuals, preparing process flow, building a pilot project
implementation plan, building issue escalation plan, finalizing other
plans. Further, develop stage activities 216 may also include validating
site readiness checklist, planning and executing IT testing, planning and
executing user acceptance testing, agreement on success criteria for a
pilot project, developing the project, preparing a query log, building
training and induction manual, etc. In one example, the develop stage 206
may be concluded by performing the develop stage activities 216, such as
building detailed process maps, identifying opportunity for automation,
and preparing final develop stage report.

[0042] Upon completion of the develop stage activities 216 and generating
the develop stage deliverables 226 in the develop stage 206, the
develop-demonstrate tollgate 236 can be signed off by an appropriate
stakeholder, such a project manager, and the project can undergo
transition from the develop stage 206 to the demonstrate stage 208.

[0045] Upon completion of the demonstrate stage activities 218 and
generating the demonstrate stage deliverables 228 in the demonstrate
stage 208, the demonstrate-deliver tollgate 238 can be signed off by an
appropriate stakeholder, such a client, and the project can undergo
transition from the demonstrate stage 208 to the deliver stage 210.

[0047] Referring now to FIG. 3, a method 300 for managing a project during
transitions is shown, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
subject matter. The method 300 may be described in the general context of
computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable
instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data
structures, procedures, modules, functions, etc., that perform particular
functions or implement particular abstract data types. The method 300 may
also be practiced in a distributed computing environment where functions
are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a
communications network. In a distributed computing environment, computer
executable instructions may be located in both local and remote computer
storage media, including memory storage devices.

[0048] The order in which the method 300 is described is not intended to
be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method
blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method 300 or
alternate methods. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from
the method 300 without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject
matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in
any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.
However, for ease of explanation, in the embodiments described below, the
method 300 may be considered to be implemented in the above described
system 100.

[0049] At block 302, a request for initiating a project is received. In
one example, the system 100 receives the request for initiating the
project through the interface 104. In one example, the request includes
specifying a type of the project and/or project requirements.

[0050] At block 304, a standard project workspace is automatically created
based on the request. Upon receiving the request to initiate the project
the standard project workspace is created for storing project documents
based on the type of the project and/or the requirements specified in the
request. The standard project workspace includes a predefined folder
structure for storing the project documents. In one example, the back end
module 112 creates the standard project workspace.

[0051] At block 306, a standard project plan is automatically created
based on the request to initiate the project. As explained previously,
the standard project plan lists the various activities and deliverables
for completing a project. Also, the standard project plan defines
tollgates to take the project from a previous stage to a next stage. In
one implementation, the standard project plan is based on an in-built
template, such as the schematic project plan 200. In one implementation,
the back end module 112 creates the standard project plan.

[0052] At block 308 the standard project plan is customized to generate a
customized project plan. In one implementation, the standard project plan
is customized by adding or modifying activities and/or deliverables
and/or tollgates that a stakeholder, such as a client or a project
manager, would specifically like to include in the project.

[0053] At block 310 the customized project plan is executed. Once the
customized project plan is created, a project team starts completing the
project in stages by performing the activities and generating
deliverables for each stage as per the customized project plan. As
described earlier, a tollgate is signed off after completion of each
stage. In one implementation, only selected stakeholders, such as project
managers, can sign off the tollgate. In one example, the stakeholder,
such as a client, who is responsible for signing off a tollgate after a
define stage may signoff the tollgate once the define stage is completed.
In one implementation, when the standard plan is not customized, the
standard plan may be executed in place of the customized project plan.

[0054] At block 312, a status report based on the execution of customized
project plan for one or more stakeholders is generated in real time.
Anytime during the project execution duration, various stakeholders, such
as project manager, management at delivery and client site, can be
presented a current status of the project in form of status reports with
appropriate

[0055] details as per the role of the stakeholders. These status reports
are based on the customized project plan. Accordingly, the activities and
deliverables mentioned in the standard project plan are tracked for their
completion and timelines. The status report ensures that the stakeholders
do not miss any activity or deliverables promised to client or necessary
for successful completion of the project. In one example, the front end
module 114 is configured to generate the status report.

[0056] Although implementations for methods and systems for managing a
project during transition have been described in language specific to
structural features and/or methods, it is to be understood that the
appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or
methods described. Rather, the specific features and methods are
disclosed as examples of implementations for managing the project of
during transition.